Boot holder



" ar -w D. E. KASSNER BOOT HOLDER Filed Aug. .25. 1954 June 9, 1959 INVENTOR. DONALD E. KAJJ/VE/P i 14 TTORZE K United States Patent 2,889,936 BOOT HOLDER Donald E. Kassner, Waterloo, Iowa Application August 25, 1954, Serial No. 452,050 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-34) This invention relates to a boot holder and more particularly to one which holds the boot by the heel and permits the boot to extend in a downwardly direction.

Riding boots and the like are a comparatively expensive type of foot gear worn infrequently, but they can be used for many years by the owner if given proper care.

One of the problems encountered in caring for this type of boot results from the difficulty of storing them for extended periods of time. If they are laid on their sides, or left standing on the soles, there is a tendency for the boot tops to sag and the boot to take on undesirable contours. In time, the leather may crack and rot.

The most desirable way to take care of a boot is to hold it by the lower portion and let the calf and top extend downwardly so that the boots own weight will tend to keep the leather in a stretched position. Devices have been provided 'which may be inserted in the boot and grip the inner side of the shank; however, such a holder is in contact with the leather and tends to retain moisture which, in turn, causes rot and mold to form.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a boot holder which grips the boot by the heel and permits the boot to be hung with the top in a downwardly direction.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a boot holder which engages the outside surfaces of the heel only, and does not bear against any portion of the leather of the boot.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a device which will permit the free circulation of air throughout the interior of the boot and yet hold it firmly by external pressure.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide a boot holder which may be readily adjusted to various size boots and yet is inexpensive to manufacture.

Other and further features and objects of my invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specification, wherein is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a boot holder constructed according to my invention holding a boot in storage position,

Figure 2 is a view of the boot holder in exploded relation to show the component parts thereof, and

Figure 3 is an end view to show the relative position of the holding prongs.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, the boot holder indicated generally at 11 is 2,889,935 Patented June 9, 1959 'ice shown hung on a common clothespole 12, and holding a boot 13. The holder itself is comprised of three angular leg members 14, 15, and 16, which are joined at a central point by a screw 17. Extending upwardly from this screw 17 is a shank member 18 having a hook 19 on its upper extremity. It is this hook which engages the clothespole.

Each of the right angle leg members is provided with an inwardly extended pointed prong as indicated at 21 and 22. It will be noted that these leg members are so positioned that the inwardly extending prongs form a triangle which engages the boot heel 23. The prongs 20 and 21 contact the vertical surface of the heel adjacent to the arch of the boot, while the prong 22 engages the back of the heel to provide the third of three points of inwardly extending pressure. All of these leg members are preferably constructed of a spring quality wire.

The rearmost leg is formed of a continuous section of wire which also provides the shank and the hook. The leg itself consists of the prong and two right angle sections; the wire is then extended into a circular portion 24 which surrounds the screw 17 and is then bent upwardly for the shank l8 and the hook 19. The two forwardly extending legs have upwardly extending hooked portions 25 and 26 which also wrap around the screw 17. The screw and nut combination may be of any stock type, but it is preferable that they have a substantially large head area to provide a holding surface, and that they firmly and tightly engage the hooks 25 and 26, and the curved portion 24.

It will be apparent that the spider-like structure of the boot holder enables the three legs to be firmly biased inwardly against the heel of the boot. The heel itself, of course, is of yielding material such as rubber, or perhaps a comparatively soft leather, and for that reason the pointed hooks will penetrate for a slight distance into the body of the heel.

To provide the adjustability necessary to accommodate the boot holder to various size boots, the screw 17 can be loosened and the two legs 14 and 15 turned inwardly for the necessary distance. The screw can then again be tightened to hold this new relationship firmly.

It will be seen that I have provided a device which will hold a boot by the heel permitting it to be held in a downwardly direction. This method of holding the boot allows it to retain its natural form. It will be further apparent that the holding device contacts the surface of the boot in only extremely limited portions thereof and that this limited contact will not result in deterioration of the surface since air is allowed to circulate throughout the interior of the boot.

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a boot holder, a primary spring wire portion having a hook on the upper end thereof, said wire being extended downwardly from said hook to form a shank, thence formed in a loop, thence extending horizontally outwardly at right angles to said shank and thence downwardly and thence substantially inwardly parallel to the outwardly extending portion, the inwardly extending portion thereof being pointed, said outwardly, downwardly and inwardly extending portions forming a leg member, a pair of substantially similar leg members opposite said first named leg member also formed of spring wire, the end portions thereof being looped, said leg members then diverging horizontallyv outwardly, tthencebeing bent down-1 pair .ofsprin-g wire leg. members will extend E'angularly outWardinrel-ation to each other and opposite to'said first named spring wire leg member to provide-a triangu-v lation of forces adapted'to resilently engage a ;boot-heel or the like.

Reterencesfliteiinihe file. sth s p n UNITED STATES PATENTS Onderdonk Feb. 21, 1882 Moritz Nov. 13, 1917 Kottke Apr. 7, 1925 Stamrn May 15, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Norway Oct. 28, 1935 

